What sells out even faster than the new iPhone 5? Apparently, the new Lightning dock connector adapters, which are now showing a two-to-three week shipping delay as Apple confirms that new handset owners won't be getting a freebie.

It's hard to believe Apple's 30-pin connector has been with us for so long. Over the course of its near ten year lifespan--dating all the way back to origins of the iTunes Music Store--the proprietary 30-pin cable has served us well, dutifully connecting to our iPhones, iPads, and iPods with universal ease. Now it appears that all of that interchangeable charging and syncing has run its course.

For the tens of millions of us patiently waiting for Apple to flip the switch on new iPhone preorders, Reuters has weighed in on a persistent rumor that the proprietary 30-pin connector that's been used since the third generation of the iPod is finally meeting its maker, presumably to make room for an underside headphone jack.

For those arguing that Apple wouldn't render a decade of third-party plugs and accessories incompatible, we beg to differ. Even if you want to ignore all of the leaked prototypes and case mock-ups that deliberately point to a narrow connector, remember that this is Apple. Millimeters mean everything, and the old-school connector takes up a bunch of them, so if we want a thinner phone, something has to give.

30-pin dock connector, your number is up: Reuters is now adding its own soulful voice to the chorus of rumors claiming that Apple is going to ditch its classic dock connector in favor of something much smaller. So much for all those compatible accessories lying around the house!